


Only Fools

by KazBrekker_morelike_KazWrecker



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, How Do I Tag, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-10-13 15:35:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 19,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10516650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KazBrekker_morelike_KazWrecker/pseuds/KazBrekker_morelike_KazWrecker
Summary: A flower shop/coffee shop AU that no one asked for but appeared in my brain and had to get out. Neil never played Exy and never met the Foxes at PSU, but his story with his father remains the same.Neil doesn't like people much but neither does Andrew and everyone knows coffee brings people together





	1. New Meetings and Sarcasm

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a thing that I wrote. I think I like it but I'm also very nervous about it. It will probably be a bit out of character in some ways, but hopefully not too much. Consent is very important to me so there will always be that. I've never really written like this before so we'll see! If anyone has suggestions, wishes or feedback of any kind, comments are always appreciated! I definitely want to continue this into multiple chapters if people are interested in reading more because I love the foxes so much. 
> 
> Also, I'm very sorry about my overuse of commas. I just get excited and carried away

Neil Josten was trying his best. After everything that had happened with his father ending in his execution at the hands of Neil’s uncle, the FBI had insisted on relocating Neil to a city much further away from the small town in California that he had been living in for the last few years. Warily, Neil had eventually agreed to the relocation, figuring that he had nothing significant to leave behind. California had always unnerved him slightly and he often wondered why he stayed there for so long.

The FBI had relocated him to Palmetto, South Carolina, a place Neil had never heard of. For the first few months, adjustment was difficult. He had been set up with a small apartment, but Neil kept to himself and harbored no desire to get attached to anyone or anything. He knew that he no longer had his father or Lola to run from, but old habits die hard. However, the isolation and need for money slowly drove him to seek a job. The idea made him uncomfortable to some degree. His scars from his father’s knives and the burns on his face from Lola’s experiments with the dashboard lighter drew looks from people everywhere he went and he had difficulty imagining that someone would want to hire him. Eventually, the need for money forced him out the door one winter morning. He had tried his best to dress in a somewhat professional manner, a difficult task with his limited wardrobe. Nonetheless, he found a pair of dark jeans without too many holes and a soft grey shirt to wear. He shrugged on a worn black jacket over the shirt, slipped on a pair of beat up converse sneakers that he still had for some reason. At the age of twenty four, he felt that perhaps he should own more respectable shoes than the old converse and his running shoes, but he had yet to care enough to make the effort to change that. Without sparing a glance at his reflection, Neil grabbed his keys and slipped out the door, locking it behind him.

Though he knew how to drive and had done so for years on the run, Neil didn't own a car and so he set off on foot, pulling up the hood of his jacket to block out the rain. He wasn't entirely sure where he was going, but had seen a small collection of shops and restaurants nearby on his daily runs and decided to start there.  
Upon arriving at the small collection of buildings, the rain had mostly soaked through his coat and as he spotted what appeared to be a coffee shop, Neil decided on a whim to stop in and buy something warm. As he drew closer, Neil saw a small sign that read _The Roof_ clearly indicating the name of the place. He thought absentmindedly that it was an odd name for a coffee shop.

Somewhat hesitantly, he pushed open the door and was greeted by a rush of warm air smelling of pastries and coffee beans. Deciding on plain black coffee he stepped up to the counter. To his mild surprise, the man behind the counter was somehow even shorter than him, no more than five feet tall. His blond hair was messy and he wore black jeans, a black t-shirt and an impressively dark scowl. Instead of asking the question “what can I get you?” or greeting him in any way, he merely raised one blond eyebrow in expectation. Neil cleared his throat. “Um just a small black coffee please. No sugar or milk.” The blond man gave him an unimpressed look and finally spoke. "It'll be $1.85.” Neil pulled out the required cash and the man took it and tucked it away into the register. He waved Neil away and turned around to ready the coffee. Despite the fact that they seemed to be the only people in the shop, the man asked for his name in a bored tone in order to write it on the cup. Neil was about to protest but decided that it might be futile so he said “Neil” in a quieter tone. For some reason he couldn't name he felt the need to ask “what's yours?” The man turned around and placed the coffee none too gently on the counter. He hesitated for a long moment and his scowl darkened before he muttered “Andrew.” He continued, “if you're done ordering bitter coffee and asking unnecessary questions, the door is over there, feel free to let it hit you on the way out.” Somewhat startled at the rudeness, Neil took his coffee and headed for the door. He couldn't hold back a sarcastic reply as he opened the door. “Nice meeting you _Andrew_.” He added extra lilting sarcasm to Andrew’s name and stepped out into the rain, pulling the door closed behind him with more force than was strictly necessary. He didn't look back to see if Andrew had reacted to his comment.


	2. It's Too Early

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew's POV. Here we go?? Starting the morning of Neil's visit and giving background. I decided to split it in half and I'll likely post the second half tomorrow because I have no self-control when it comes to this fic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as mentioned at the beginning of this fic, I'm trying my best to stay fairly in character with everyone, especially Andrew and Neil. That being said, it is an AU so I won't be adhering completely to the original stories. If anything seems too ooc for anyone, please let me know! I want to make sure that whoever is reading this feels fairly comfortable with the portrayals and mannerisms and doesn't feel like I'm misrepresenting anyone, particularly Neil and Andrew. 
> 
> This is a stupidly long note, but I also just want to say thank you to everyone who read the first chapter! I'm nervous to post this but I hope some of you enjoy this and as always, please comment if you have suggestions or concerns! Also, I know the chapters are a bit short right now but I'm expecting them to increase in length as the story progresses <3

Andrew Minyard woke on December fifth, more annoyed than usual. He had not slept well. The nightmares had decreased both in frequency and intensity, but they still occurred from time to time and last night turned out to be the time for yet another. In addition, his cat King had woken up with Andrew and dug his claws deep into Andrew’s forearm. Not for the first time, he cursed his cousin Nicky aloud for finding King and forcing him on Andrew. He remembered Nicky’s too bright smile as he held onto a carrier, that was emitting a faint growling sound. “But Andrew he’s perfect for you!” Nicky had exclaimed with excitement. In the end, Andrew had begrudgingly agreed and King had settled into Andrew’s life.

In his bed, Andrew muttered a few choice curses and stood up to get dressed for work. He worked at a coffee shop nearby that he co-owned with Renee Walker, arguably his closest friend if you could call her that. Andrew left Renee to most of the social side of things, only working in the front taking orders and making coffee. He had agreed to front of house work under the condition that he be able to name the place. Renee agreed and so _The Roof_ was born. Small and secluded, it was tucked between two larger buildings and across the street from Dan and Matt’s flower shop.

As Andrew dressed in his usual ensemble of black jeans, a black t-shirt and his ever present armbands, he thought about work. For the most part he liked his job well enough. Andrew didn't like people and as such, interacting with them was often the hardest part, but he greatly enjoyed making coffee drinks. He wasn't entirely sure why but the smell of coffee soothed him, especially when combined with unholy amounts of sugar and cream. He would never tell anyone, but he would often sneak into the back on his breaks and make small individual sized pies from the scraps that remained from Nicky’s baking earlier in the day. He took his breaks outside with a cigarette, sometimes two and usually left work by 3pm in time for Kevin to come take his place and start his shift. Andrew’s evenings were quiet, he often cooked dinner for himself and tried to fall into bed at a reasonable hour in order to be up for his shift ungodly early in the morning. Andrew poured himself a cup of coffee to take with him and slathered a piece of toast with Nutella before slipping on his sneakers, grabbing his keys and heading to his car, locking the door behind him. The Maserati was one of Andrew’s most prized possessions, among the few he had and though the trip to work wasn't long, he enjoyed the short drive, especially today in the dreary rain. Andrew hated South Carolina winters. Though he had to admit that he preferred them to California winters, where the seasons barely changed at all.

At _The Roof_ , Andrew switched on the lights and set about taking down chairs, preparing the milk pitchers and starting a pot of coffee for the early regulars. He removed the cash they kept in the small safe in his and Renee’s office and prepared the register. After the opening tasks were done, he poured himself another cup of coffee and leaned against his stool behind the bar. All too soon, the small bell Nicky had insisted on hanging above the door chimed. Andrew prepared himself for whatever businesswoman or over-eager middle aged jogger would soon appear in front of him. At the sound of quiet feet on the clean floor, Andrew looked up and his train of thought stopped.


	3. Too Much

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two of Andrew's POV. Back to their snarky first interaction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to everyone for the kudos and comments and for reading! I'm glad some of you are enjoying this nonsense!

Andrew forced his brain to jolt back to life and fixed the stranger with a seemingly bored stare. The boy wore dark clothes, his jacket soaked from the rain, and he carried himself with the air of someone trying to pass unnoticed. As Andrew stared, he wondered how anyone could not notice the boy. The scars and burns covering his face likely made him look frightening to some, but to Andrew they indicated something interesting. Andrew enjoyed things that were different and unusual to most people and this boy just exuded _interesting._ Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how he looked at it, the stranger was also unfairly attractive. With large blue eyes, messy auburn hair and a slim build, he looked too good to be standing in _The Roof_ at eight in the morning.

Andrew had been silent too long. He compensated by extending his silence and raising one eyebrow in a silent question. The boy shifted awkwardly and cleared his throat. “Um just a small black coffee please. No sugar or milk.”

Andrew resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the order. It was plain and boring, just like the boy was trying and failing to be. “It'll be $1.85” he muttered quietly. Taking the money offered and depositing it in the register, Andrew turned away to prepare the coffee. Against his better judgement he asked “name?” in the most apathetic voice he could muster. After some hesitation he heard the boy’s voice again, quieter this time. “Neil.”

He barely heard it when the boy asked “what's yours?”

Andrew clenched his fists against and counter and paused. “Andrew” he finally grit out.

 He suddenly felt too many emotions at once. He fought to keep them down and knew he needed to get this boy, Neil, away from him as soon as possible. He turned around and all but threw the coffee down on the counter before Neil. “If you're done ordering bitter coffee and asking unnecessary questions, the door is over there, feel free to let it hit you on the way out.”

He turned away, waiting for the door to close. Behind him he heard Neil say “Nice meeting you _Andrew”_ his voice dripping with sarcasm. With that, he stepped out into the rain, closing the door with more force than necessary. Despite his better judgment, Andrew turned around to watch Neil make his way across the street, breathing out a quiet sigh of relief. “Well fuck” he said into the empty room.


	4. Damn! Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for the flower shop and to meet two more of the foxes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so because I have no self-control, I'm posting chapter four today! Since my chapters have been pretty short so far, I've been updating quite frequently but we'll see as the story continues. Thank you so much to everyone for the kind words and kudos you've given me! They makes me so happy and I appreciate them all

Neil quickly stepped away from _The Roof_  and crossed the street in his hurry to move away from the shop and out of the rain. Still somewhat shaken from his interaction with the man, Andrew, Neil didn't pay much attention to the door he pulled open and to the space he had chosen to enter.

 Adjusting to his new surroundings, Neil recognized the fresh earthy smell and soon realized that he was in a flower shop. Like _The Roof_ had been, this place was empty of customers. It was a small space, but brightly lit, with various flower arrangements placed around the room, presumably displaying the types of work done at the place. At the sound of Neil’s converse squeaking on the polished floor, a young man looked up from a table in the corner where he had been working. He wore a plain jeans and a warm yellow shirt, made even more vibrant by his dark skin and wide smile. “Oh hey man! Sorry I didn't hear you come in!” he exclaimed. He gestured with one hand a little too enthusiastically, sending the vase in front of him flying to the floor. The loud crash of broken glass startled Neil. The man bent over the mess and muttered “oh fu- hey Dan!” Neil looked up and saw a young woman standing in to the doorway to the back room, holding yet another vase of flowers. She wore blue jeans and a white top with small swirling patterns of color. She was beautiful, with dark skin and curly hair pulled back behind a red bandana. “Another one Matt?” She sighed. The man on the floor, Matt it seemed, looked sheepish and nodded. He stood and left the room, returning shortly with a broom and dustpan.

Neil felt awkward standing in the room, not moving or speaking. Before he could say anything the woman turned to him with a bright smile and said “Hello! Sorry about Matt, he's just very enthusiastic about new people and likes to gesture with his hands. _Welcome to Damn! Flowers_. I'm Dan.”

“Neil” he returned. Lacking something better to say he asked “Why is it named _Damn! Flowers_?”

She laughed in response. “Well I'm Dan and that boy over there is my husband Matt and we wanted to create a unique name for the place and Matt sort of blurted it out over drinks one night and it stuck. Sort of a combination of our names and very cheesy.”

Neil nodded along, not really having a verbal response. “So can I help you with something?” Dan asked.

Neil cleared his throat “Well I’m new to the area and have been looking for work and I wanted to see if you are hiring.” Most of what he said was true, though he omitted the fact that he ended up in the shop by accident and had never taken note of it before. From the floor, Matt shot Neil a large grin and Dan smiled both at Neil’s quiet manner and Matt’s nonsense. “Well Matt and I are responsible for taking orders, putting them together with the help of our friend Allison, and Aaron delivers them. We could probably use someone to help around back, cleaning up stems and reorganizing. Are you interested in that?”

Neil paused. As far as work went, it sounded fairly easy and it also seemed that he could likely stick to the back and avoid customers, something he was very eager to do. He didn't like many people but there was something nice about Matt and Dan and he found himself nodding yes.

“Great!” said Dan. “Well why don't you come back tomorrow morning to get started and we can figure out details and hours then?”

Still silent, Neil nodded again.

From his position on the floor Matt spoke up “Check out _The Roof_ across the street before you come in! If you can ignore Andrew’s rudeness, he makes great coffee.”

 

Neil forced a small smile, privately thinking that he would need a very good reason to go back to the shop and interact with Andrew again. He moved to the door and gave a small wave. “See you tomorrow.” Dan and Matt waved goodbye and Neil stepped back out into the rain, which had thankfully slowed to a steady drizzle. Neil headed for home, thinking that he would like to go for a run, shower, and fall back asleep. Human interaction exhausted him and the morning had been too busy.


	5. 5K

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil goes for a run and thinks about his life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for chapter five! As you all may have noticed, I'm awful at chapter titles, and I'm terribly sorry. As always, thank you all for the comments and kudos! I appreciate every single one. Also, this has over 500 hits?? <3

Neil arrived home, struggled with the sticky lock on his front door for a few moments and upon getting it to open, moved quickly into his bedroom to change. He could feel the pent up nervous energy in his body growing and knew the best way to fix it was to go for a run. He made quick work of changing out of his attempt at a semi-professional outfit and changing into soft grey running pants and a dark blue t-shirt. He slipped on his running shoes, arguably the nicest thing he owned, grabbed his keys and slipped out the door. 

Neil didn't like the distraction of running with music. He relished the feeling of his blood pumping through his veins and the sound of his heart beating in his ears. He gradually increased his pace and soon felt the familiar pounding of his heart. He thought of his mother. He still missed her sometimes, but he couldn't say that he missed life on the run, always moving from one place to the next, never getting comfortable and being punished for experiencing relationships of any kind with others. Neil liked to be alone, he felt it was who he was. But on rare occasions, he wished his deeply ingrained distrust of people wasn't so strong.

Romantic relationships had long since disappeared from his mind after a few awkward kisses that ended in punishment from his mother. While he could objectively recognize beauty and  attractiveness, Neil didn't experience attraction the way he figured most people did. He had no interest in the random people he met, he felt no attraction to them. 

Neil still wasn't interested in forming attachments of any kind, though a small part of him was concerned that he might be forced to if he was going to work in the shop with Dan and Matt who seemed to be unusually nice and cheerful, perhaps Dan had another side to her but Matt had seemed so enthusiastic about the smallest things. It exhausted Neil.

He felt the familiar burn in his legs as he neared the end of his five miles. He looped back around and began to head home, keeping his fast pace. Running was one of the only ways for him to clear his head and try to move past the memories of his mother and time on the run that still loomed. The rain returned in full force as he neared his block and he ran quickly up the stairs and into his small apartment. He removed his shoes and padded into the tiny kitchen for a glass of water. For a moment he indulged his memory and closed his eyes, seeing the remains of the car burning on the beach in California and remembering the acrid smell of smoke and the way his mother’s blood had stuck her to the seats. He opened his eyes. Draining the glass of water, Neil shook away the memories and headed into the bathroom.

Avoiding the mirror in the bathroom, Neil turned the water as hot as it would go. He stepped into the shower and focused only on washing away the day and the memories. Finishing up quickly, Neil shut off the water and dried himself off, changing into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. He moved to his small bed in the next room and settled in, ready to sleep and avoid his thoughts for several hours. He opened the window next to the bed and rummaged in the sheets for the pack of cigarettes he had tossed there early that morning. Neil did not like to drink and he had no interest in drugs, but he had grown to like cigarettes at certain times. The smoke often brought back memories of his mother and he would sometimes light one and let it burn down to the filter without taking a drag. Tonight was one of those times, he held the burning cigarette near the window and he watched in the dim light as the smoke formed tendrils in the air and drifted upwards. Fighting away the memories of his mother and Nathan’s final retaliation against her, his mind brought him back to the beginning of the day and to  _ The Roof _ . He thought of Andrew and his apathy. The stare he had fixed Neil with, as though Neil was a puzzle he felt the need to solve. Despite his better judgement, something about Andrew interested Neil, tugged at something inside of himself that he could not and did not want to identify. He shook all thoughts all thoughts of Andrew and  _ The Roof _ from his mind and succumbed to a dreamless sleep.


	6. Restless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to Andrew's POV. Some introspection and way too many cupcakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited to post today! This has been my favorite chapter to write so far and I hope you all enjoy it! Heads up, there's some discussion and allusion to sex/masturbation in this chapter but nothing explicit. I will be clear in the notes before any smut in later chapters. This is a slightly longer chapter! I may not post again for a few days but hopefully not too long. Also, no promises because I still have no self-control. Thank you all for reading <3

Andrew couldn’t sleep, his mind too busy twisting itself in circles. He had given up on the idea of sleep at 2am and moved into his living room with his pack of cigarettes, settling himself on the windowsill and chain smoking for as long as he could. King had woken up from his place on Andrew’s couch, coming to sit near him and stare reproachfully as if to scold Andrew for the growing pile of cigarette stubs collecting on the sill. “Put your judgemental eyes away” Andrew growled at King. In retaliation, King sent him a final glare and turned around to lick himself. Andrew looked away, back out the window and watched the smoke from his current cigarette curl away from him. Sleep often eluded Andrew for one reason or another, but he felt particular anger at the reason tonight. The stranger, Neil was stuck in his mind and he couldn’t get him out. Andrew had a complicated relationship with physical touch and for him, sex had to be carefully controlled at all times. It was either on his very specific terms or not at all. Despite his rules, Andrew was no stranger to physical attraction and to sex. However, his attraction never involved _feelings_ of any kind and he rarely found anyone interesting enough to warrant a second time. The only exception to this was Roland, the bartender at his favorite bar nearby. Even that arrangement lacked feelings, Andrew only ever went so far as to get Roland off, always leaving before he could offer to return the favor. He never let Roland touch him and refused to take care of himself until he was alone. He couldn’t stomach the idea of letting someone else touch him like that or even to letting them watch as his found his own release. He was annoyed by Neil to say the least. From the moment he had looked up into those ridiculously blue eyes, he had labeled him as “a problem” and he knew that this particular problem might not pass so easily. The mere fact that he interested Andrew was an indicator in and of itself as to how much this could become an issue. Andrew wasn’t interested in anything, the people around him were boring, save for Renee and even she wasn’t particularly interesting to him, she was mostly less irritating than the others and served as a good sparring partner.

Andrew wasn’t interested in wanting anything and yet, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about Neil. What it would be like to kiss him, press him against the wall, and uncover his secrets. The fact that Neil seemed to be coated in deception and sarcasm only drew him in further. It didn’t help that he was so _pretty._ “Fuck.” Andrew crushed his current cigarette and clenched his fists, fighting away his thoughts.

It was almost five in the morning and he had to be at work at six. Figuring that he may as well find some other way to occupy his time until he had to leave for work, Andrew headed for his kitchen and started his coffee machine. Second only to the Maserati (and though he would never admit it, King), the coffee machine was one of his most valued possessions. Coffee was one of Andrew’s only interests and he had very strong opinions about what did and did not qualify as good coffee. Leaving the machine to work, he walked to his bathroom and set about turning on his shower and removing the sweats he had chosen to sleep in. Stepping under the warm spray, Andrew briefly closed his eyes and against his better judgement, he indulged his growing arousal and thought back to Neil standing in _The Roof._ He thought of his eyes and too-messy hair, the way his voice had sounded wrapped around Andrew’s name, dripping in sarcasm. Andrew’s hand sped up and soon, he tensed and shuddered almost imperceptibly as he came. He opened his eyes and rinsed his hand under the spray. Setting the water as hot as it would go, he scrubbed himself clean and erased all thoughts of Neil from his mind. Hearing the coffee maker beep loudly from the other room, he stepped out of the shower, dried off, and wandered into his bedroom to get dressed in his usual black work attire. Clothes on and with his armbands securely in place, he returned to the kitchen and set about making the perfect cup of coffee. Andrew insisted on using both milk and a flavored creamer, as well as liberal amounts of sugar. He preferred hazelnut creamer and poured a generous amount into the coffee. Once the coffee was done, he popped two slices of toast in the toaster and readied a knife and the large jar of Nutella. After the toast was done and as he slathered it with the chocolate spread, he thought of what Kevin would say if he could see Andrew’s breakfast and smirked slightly to himself. Even after knowing him all through college and listening to his rants about Andrew’s diet, he never could shake the habit of provoking him by eating too much sugar without a care. Andrew thought that perhaps today would be a good day to annoy Kevin at work by eating a particularly large piece of cake in front of him.

 

In the car, Andrew silently cursed the earlier shift this morning. Usually he didn’t need to be at work until 7, but _The Roof_ was known for Nicky’s baking and he had been commissioned to make both a wedding cake, and two dozen cupcakes for a very upbeat gay couple that Nicky had almost immediately swooned over. That particular afternoon he had been insufferable, moaning on and on about his relationship with his long-distance boyfriend Erik and what their wedding would be like. It had been an experience Andrew had no desire to repeat this morning while he would help Nicky bake.

Arriving at _The Roof_ , he headed to the kitchen, barely acknowledging Nicky’s cheerful greeting and set about spooning out the batter he had made the day before into the cupcake tins and putting them in to bake. Once they were baking away, Andrew went about his usual opening tasks and upon completing them, moved back to the kitchen to prepare the frosting and decorations. A short while later he heard the bell over the door chime and another enthusiastic greeting. “Morning Nicky! We’ve got the flower arrangements ready if you have room for them!” Unmistakably Matt’s voice and Andrew assumed that Aaron had come with him to help carry the arrangements. Nicky groaned slightly with his hands covered in vanilla buttercream and turned to Andrew. “Do you think you could-” Before he could finish, Andrew rolled his eyes and headed out to collect the flowers from Matt.  

He looked up as he reached the doorway and stopped. Standing next to Matt with his arms wrapped around a ridiculously large arrangement was Neil. Since when did he work at _Damn! Flowers_? Muttering a greeting at Matt, Andrew took the flowers from his arms and turned back to the kitchen but not before shooting Neil a look to indicate that he should follow with the other arrangement. Neil tripped slightly over his feet, not surprising considering his shitty shoes and Andrew snorted. Neil glared but followed him anyway. Setting the flowers down in his and Renee’s office Andrew turned to face Neil. “Since when do you work with them?”

“It’s my first day actually” Neil said looking up to meet Andrew’s eyes. “Problem?”

Andrew smirked. “The only problem I have is your shitty taste in coffee. Black with no sugar or milk? Do you hate life?”

“Says the man with a permanent scowl” Neil returned with a smirk of his own.

Before Andrew could deliver a snarky reply, Matt poked his head around the door. “Andrew could Neil and I get two coffees to go?” Nodding once, Andrew left the room and moved to the coffee bar. He prepared Matt’s usual, a latte with caramel syrup and rolled his eyes as he poured Neil’s cup of black coffee. Before he turned around to deliver the drinks, he couldn't resist adding the tiniest bit of vanilla syrup to Neil’s coffee. Repressing a smirk, Andrew put the coffees down on the bar and accepted Matt’s overly generous tip. He watched them leave, Neil throwing him one last look over his shoulder. Maybe this would be interesting after all.

 


	7. Trading Insults

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew and Neil talk some more and have fun insulting each other. Plans are made??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers! I'm sorry I haven't posted in a few days but honestly maybe it's for the best. I don't feel that confident about this chapter, but I needed to continue and wanted to give you all something.  
> I'm hoping to keep updating every few days but I'm in my last semester of undergrad and graduating in a month so things are crazy. I definitely won't give up on this fic though so prepare yourselves for much more. Thank you all for the kudos and lovely comments. I appreciate you all so much.

Two weeks had passed since Andrew and Neil had argued over Neil’s supposed terrible taste in coffee. Neil was surprised to find that he enjoyed his job at the flower shop and despite his initial concerns, Matt and Dan didn't force him to be more social than necessary. The same could not be said for Nicky, who had taken a liking to Neil and continued to invite him out to gay bars, an offer Neil continued to decline.

Neil didn't see Andrew often in his first week at _Damn! Flowers_ until one Friday afternoon when he left for a cigarette during his lunch break. He had found a secluded bench where he assumed no one would bother him. Halfway through his cigarette, he had heard a small scoff and looked up to see Andrew standing near him, lit cigarette in one hand and a piece of cake in the other. Andrew had rolled his eyes, sat down on the far end of the bench and had begun shoving cake into his mouth. Upon finishing the unnecessarily large piece, he flicked Neil one last unimpressed look and turned away, heading back to _The Roof._  
  
Neil hadn't given the interaction much thought until it happened again the next week. The second time, Andrew had spoken in a bored tone but only to further insult both Neil’s taste in coffee and in cigarettes. “Really Neil, Camels? You can do better than that” he had drawled. Neil had simply rolled his eyes and taken another drag, blowing smoke out in a thin stream in Andrew’s direction. After that, their lunchtime smoking had become a regular event, always filled with insults thrown back and forth, getting more and more creative as the days went on. Andrew it turned out, found Neil’s clothes ridiculous and seemed to enjoy telling him so at any opportunity. Despite his better judgement Neil had started looking forward to his breaks more than he should.

It was a dreary Tuesday when Neil next saw him on break. Today Andrew was eating what appeared to be a horrifyingly large piece of carrot cake. They traded the usual sarcastic comments but before leaving Andrew turned back to say something else. “This Friday you're coming out with us. I don't trust you to properly dress yourself so come by _The Roof_ at 7.30.” Before Neil could argue, Andrew turned away and disappeared back to the shop. Neil followed suit and headed back to work. Matt greeted him with his usual excitement and Neil returned his greeting and returned to the back room to organize. Two hours later, his shift was over and he said goodbye to Dan and Matt and started the walk home. Tomorrow was his day off and he was looking forward to a long run and no human interaction.

Arriving home, he kicked off his shoes and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. He was exhausted from the day, having spent it cleaning up the remnants of the engagement flower bouquets Matt had been working on and organizing the back room. Making quick work of his shower, Neil changed into pajamas and ate small salad before brushing his teeth and falling into bed. He thought back to his conversation with Andrew earlier that day. Neil didn't know what to expect on Friday but he found he was looking forward to it. He realized that not for the first time, Andrew was back in his thoughts. More and more these days he found it couldn't help it. His conversations with Andrew had become something to look forward to, surprising considering his initial dislike of the man. Forcing Andrew out of his mind, Neil rolled over and attempted to sleep.

 


	8. Eden's Twilight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil and the monsters go out, sexual tension ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! I'm pretty excited about this one, so I hope you all enjoy it! Also, thanks to a friend I'm now addicted to dance videos and can't get the idea of an Andreil dance AU out of my head. I'm definitely open to attempting to write it, especially if any of you want to read that. Definitely check out 1Million Dance Studio on Youtube. It might ruin you but in a great way. Anyway, thank you all for the continued positive response! <3 
> 
> Unrelated side note, but if any of you want to read an adorable coffee shop AU full of owl puns, go check out I Like You a Latte by smolmoll04. It's not AFTG but it's great and gay and 10/10 recommend. 
> 
> Oh god, one final note, but Andrew is a bit ooc here in terms of touch. My plan for him in this is that he is still pretty not cool with most touching (I can relate oh man), but it's not quite as severe as in the books. You'll see and hopefully it's not upsettingly ooc. Shutting up now so you all can read <3

Before he knew it, Friday had arrived and it was 7pm, almost time to meet Andrew at _The Roof_ . Neil had no idea what to expect from tonight, but he figured it couldn't be worse than yet another night at home with no interesting books to read and his racing thoughts. _Damn! Flowers_ had closed at six, but Dan and Matt had let Neil stay behind until he had to meet Andrew. They had waved goodbye with Matt calling out “Have fun with the monsters! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!” He threw in a wink for good measure and Neil tried his best to give him a convincing smile back. Though he was slightly looking forward to seeing Andrew (not that he would ever admit it), he couldn't say the same about Nicky or Andrew’s twin brother Aaron. Kevin was alright, if a bit surly at times. At 7.25 he gathered his things, locked up and headed across the street. Per Andrew’s instructions, Neil walked to the back door of the shop and upon finding the door unlocked, stepped in and headed for the office. Andrew was waiting inside, sorting the day’s earnings and tucking them away into the safe. He looked up when Neil entered. “Well look at that. The rabbit came after all. Kevin didn't think you'd show. Put these on.” He shoved a pile of dark clothes at Neil and pointed in the direction of the bathroom. Neil followed his instructions, locking the bathroom door behind himself.

 Looking at the clothes Andrew had picked out, Neil mostly noticed that they were black and seemed much too tight on him, the jeans especially. He wriggled his way into the clothes and was pleasantly surprised to find them very comfortable. Running a hand through his already messy hair, he spared the briefest glance at his reflection and exited the bathroom. At his return Andrew looked up and gave him a once over. Neil shifted, feeling awkward at the eyes surveying him. Did his eyes linger too long on the jeans? Neil shook the thought from his mind. Before either one of them could say anything, Nicky popped his head around the door. “You guys ready to go? Kevin is getting impatient and it's getting harder to ignore him. It's like he's afraid they'll run out of vodka.” He was wearing exceptionally tight clothes and had smeared glitter over his cheekbones. Andrew motioned for Neil to follow him and the three men went out to the Maserati. To his surprise, Nicky slid into the backseat to join Kevin and Aaron, leaving Neil to climb into the passenger seat. Not wanting to argue, Neil did. As they drove he stared out the window, doing his best to ignore Nicky’s excited rambling and Kevin’s grumbling. He avoided looking back at Aaron, despite feeling the burn of his glare. That was something he didn't want to engage with unless he was forced to.

 

A few minutes later they arrived outside the club. The large sign read _Eden’s Twilight_ and Neil held back a snort at the name. Parking the car, the men headed for the line and walked past the large crowd waiting outside and stepped into the club. Neil was immediately overwhelmed. The space was dark and loud, filled with bodies dancing, drinking and laughing loudly. Neil enjoyed none of the above activities and he simply followed Andrew to a table and sat as far in the corner as he could. Turning down the offered shot, he looked instead toward to the crowded dance floor. A few minutes later he felt a tap on his wrist and turned back to find Andrew staring at him. The others had disappeared, likely to dance. “Come with me” Andrew said, barely loud enough to be heard. Neil followed him to the bar and watched as he interacted with the bartender. “Brought a friend with you tonight Andrew?” the man asked, throwing in a wink. Andrew ignored the question and the man smiled and set about preparing a tray of drinks. Following Andrew back to the table, Neil carried the drinks and set them down. Suddenly, he felt something crash into him and found himself falling back against the wall. It seemed Andrew had been pushed as well and without meaning to, he ended up pressed against Neil who in turn, was pressed against the wall. The drunk stranger mumbled something incoherent and wandered off. Before Andrew could retaliate, Neil took hold of his wrist. At Andrew’s expression, Neil released him immediately and would have stepped away if not for the wall. Andrew didn't move. Neil didn't dare breathe and he snuck a look down at Andrew’s face. The man was glaring up at him, eyes seemingly stuck on Neil’s face. For the briefest moment Neil watched as Andrew’s gaze fixed on his mouth and then flicked back up to his eyes. Andrew pushed away. “Stay here” he ordered. Neil sank back into his seat and tried to ignore the pounding of his heart. He attempted to convince himself that it was the effect of being surrounded by so much noise and so many people, not by having Andrew’s body pressed up against him like that.

 Andrew returned shortly, Kevin in tow and shoved him down into the booth with Neil. “You two, stay here.” Without looking at Neil he growled, “Make sure Kevin doesn't drink himself to death.” Before Neil could ask questions, Andrew vanished. Not wanting to make conversation with a clearly drunk Kevin, he watched him out of the corner of his eye to make sure he didn't run off and and tried his best to focus on the pounding of the music, ignoring his thoughts and the lingering electric feel where his hand had touched Andrew’s wrist.

 


	9. Eden's Twilight Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things from the evening from Andrew's POV and then some going home, interactions with King, plans (ish) are made??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another one! *Throws chapter at you* I hope you enjoy and I'm terribly sorry for any too ooc Andrew moments. I hope you all are getting lots of sleep and having fun times, but it's okay if you're not and fic will always be here for you. I shouldn't write these chapter notes while sleepy. Thank you all for the support and kudos and comments! <3  
> Oh also, heads up for some vague, non-descriptive hand jobs/masturbation in this chapter. Nothing very graphic though

Andrew moved away from their table as quickly as he could and headed for the bar. He downed a shot on the way and sent Roland a look, his intentions clear. He didn't wait for him to follow, already knowing that he was preparing to take his break and meet Andrew in the back. Andrew didn't have time to shut the door behind himself before Roland slipped into the small room. “Pretty boy isn't this kind of friend then?” Roland said with a small smirk. Andrew shut him up by pressing him against the door and kissing him. Roland didn't move to touch him, knowing better than to ask for more than Andrew would give. After a few minutes of this, Andrew’s brain had quieted enough for him to reach into Roland’s jeans. He worked quickly and methodically, not stopping to think about anything at all. Roland shuddered through his release and Andrew stepped away, grabbing some tissues and using one to clean his hand, tossing the rest to Roland. Not sparing him a second glance, Andrew pushed past him and out the door, ready to find the others and bring this night to an end. Looking down to check his phone, he saw a message from a number he didn’t recognize.

 **Unknown (10.31):** **_Where are you? Kevin wandered off and told me to text you._ **

Andrew muttered a curse under his breath, it could only be one person. It was now 10.50 and Andrew could only hope Kevin had just left in search of more vodka. He didn’t feel like going on an elaborate Kevin hunt tonight.

He found Neil where he had left him, nursing what looked like something suspiciously non-alcoholic. Nicky and Aaron were still missing, likely having found interest in the throng of dancing bodies, but it seemed that Andrew’s suspicions about Kevin leaving for more vodka were correct because he sat in the booth with Neil, eyes glassy. “Kevin, go find the others. Now.” Andrew barely waited for Kevin to exit the booth before sitting in his place and picking up one of still-full shots. Throwing it back, he turned to look at Neil, scoffing at the glass of what he was sure was water that Neil was drinking. The other man looked up and rolled his eyes at Andrew’s mocking expression. Andrew watched as Neil’s gaze shifted lower, and then ripped away from Andrew’s face entirely, a slight blush rising on his cheeks. Neither of them said anything for a few minutes and soon Kevin had returned with a very sweaty Nicky and a ruffled looking Aaron in tow.

“We’re leaving already Andrew?” Nicky complained. “It’s not even midnight!” Andrew said nothing and stood up to leave, not waiting for the others to follow. He walked to the Maserati and slipped into the driver’s seat, his sole focus on dropping the others off as soon as possible, going home and ignoring everyone. Luckily, tomorrow was his day off and he could spend it smoking and eating ungodly amounts of ice cream. The other men piled into the car and Andrew started the engine, beginning the twenty minute drive back. They drove in silence and soon Andrew was pulling the car up next to the apartment building Kevin, Aaron and Nicky lived in. They shuffled out of the car, Nicky shouting an enthusiastic goodbye and leading the way into the building with Aaron and Kevin following close behind. Andrew turned to Neil.

“Where do you live?”

Neil attempted to brush off the question.“It’s not far, I’ll walk.”

Despite Andrew’s scathing look, Neil continued. “Andrew it’s fi-”

“Shut up Neil. It’s late and raining and god only knows who might see your stupid face and decide to attack you. Where the fuck do you live?”

Neil finally relented and directed Andrew to his apartment. Ten minutes later, Andrew pulled up outside the apartment building and Neil unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to Andrew. He coughed awkwardly “Um thanks for tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow I guess?”

Andrew looked back at him and shook his head. “I have the day off tomorrow.”

“Oh okay, I’ll see you around later then.”

He thought he saw a brief flash of disappointment on Neil’s face, but Andrew wasn’t sure and didn’t care to question it any further at that moment. He grunted an affirmative sound and Neil opened the door and climbed out without another word. Andrew watched as Neil let himself into the building and waited until he watched him disappear from view before driving off towards his own apartment.

 

Upon arriving home, Andrew was immediately accosted by King who meowed in a very demanding tone and was clearly upset about his food bowl being empty. Andrew filled it back up for him and headed into the bathroom. After the night’s events, he felt in desperate need of a shower. As he waited for the water to heat to the desired temperature, he thought back to the events at the club. He never let Roland get him off and as such, his reason for seeking him out in the first place was an issue he was still deciding whether or not to take care of. He stepped into the shower and decided he couldn't ignore his growing arousal. Andrew thought back to the feeling of being pressed up against Neil, how he had felt oddly safe, and at the same time, scared and angry at being forced so close to him so quickly and without a choice. He remembered the look in Neil’s stupidly blue eyes and how he had looked so surprised to have Andrew up against him like that, but Andrew had seen what he could have sworn was desire flicker across his features for a moment. He thought of the way Neil had smelled like cigarette smoke, clean sweat and something almost like aftershave, though he doubted Neil would ever willingly wear it. Andrew sped up the motions of his hand over his aching cock and suppressed a small groan. Thinking of the small hitch in Neil’s breath at having Andrew so close finally brought him over the edge with a muffled curse. Instead of immediately shaking off the memories and ridding his mind of what he had just done, Andrew allowed himself a moment of calm after the haze of his orgasm. He attempted to let the good feeling stay a moment before kicking it out of his head and chest. Soon after, it became too much and he finished washing himself and shut off the water, drying off and slipping into sleeping clothes.

King was waiting on his bed when Andrew entered the room and he didn't have the energy to force him out, so Andrew crawled into bed, letting King snuggle up on the pillow beside him. “Night idiot” he grumbled. “Mrrreow” King responded. Andrew turned off the light and laid down to sleep.

 

He woke the next morning to the bright sun streaming in through his window. He had forgotten to close the blinds the night before and the sun was near blinding. He fumbled for his phone and found a text waiting for him.

 **Unknown (7.00):** **_I didn’t get a chance to return your clothes last night. Can I bring them by later today? I’m off at 3._ **

It wasn't signed but Andrew knew it was from Neil. He sighed and weighed his options. He couldn't deny that he liked the man’s stupid face and something about his presence made Andrew’s life a bit less boring than usual. Coming to a decision, he typed out a response.

 **Me (11.00):** _Okay idiot. I'll send you the address. Knock when you get here._

 

Andrew tossed the phone down onto his nightstand and glanced at King’s searching expression. “The fuck are you looking at? Shut up.” Andrew climbed out of bed, deciding that pancakes were a necessity, especially if he was going to have to put up with a judgmental cat and one irritating (stupidly attractive) Neil Josten today.  

  
  



	10. The Roof

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of cigarette smoking and Neil meeting King

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for chapter ten! I've written ten chapters of this?? Oh wow. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy and prepare yourself for a lot cat nose booping. As my friend would say, BOOP THE SNOOT. I couldn't resist. Anywho, thank you for continuing to read and I really hope you like the chapter!

It was 3pm and Andrew was sitting on his windowsill, smoking his third cigarette of the afternoon. He had sent Neil his address later that morning and he had responded by saying that he would walk over after his shift ended at 3. Andrew wasn’t sure what to expect from the interaction and he tried to squash the arising feelings of unease. He didn’t like other people in his space, he rarely allowed anyone over and the only occasional exception was Renee, but she never pushed for an invitation. He was startled out of his thoughts at a small knock on the door. It was only 3.15 and he was mildly surprised that Neil had gotten here so quickly. Still holding his lit cigarette, he stood up to open the door. Neil stood in the doorway holding a small bag and wearing his uniform of dark jeans and a soft green t-shirt with _Damn! Flowers_ written across the breast pocket in curling script. His hair was in its usual messy state and he looked tired.

“Hey” Andrew muttered and Neil looked up with a small smile.

“Hi” he returned. Before Andrew could say anything else, Neil’s face lit up with an excited look and it only took Andrew a moment to figure out the source of his sudden joy. King was pushing past Andrew’s legs and trying to say hello to Neil. Not wanting him running off into the hallway, Andrew picked him up and gestured for Neil to follow him inside. He set King down and Neil immediately dropped down to say hello to the animal. “Who are you?” he asked, more to the cat than to Andrew. Regardless, Andrew responded. “That’s King. A surprise imposition from Nicky a while ago.”

“Oooh” Neil murmured. “It’s very nice to meet you King” he said and made to shake his little paw. To Andrew’s slight disbelief, King let Neil lightly grasp his paw and shake it. “Mrreow!” King said in response and rubbed his head against Neil’s hand.

Andrew looked away for a little while, not sure how to respond to the situation. He turned back when he heard a soft laugh and a sound that Neil made that sounded suspiciously like “boop!” He looked back in time to see Neil reach out and tap King’s nose with his index finger, letting out another soft “boop” sound. He rolled his eyes and ignored the warmth in his chest.  

 As if sensing his eye roll, Neil looked up somewhat bashfully.

“Sorry, I just love cats so much and their little noses. I can't resist booping them. I have your clothes if you want them now. I washed them and everything so they're good to go.”

Andrew nodded and Neil handed him the bag.

“What are you up to today?” he asked.

“Very little” Andrew replied. “How was work?” He tried to sound as bored as possible.

“Stressful” Neil replied. “There’s another wedding and I had to help out with the arrangements because Allison has the day off and Matt dropped another vase and Aaron basically threw a tantrum and lost it.”

Andrew snorted. “That's him for you. He can be too melodramatic sometimes.”

“I've noticed.” Neil said dryly

 

Neil stood up and put his hands in his pockets.

“Well I should probably go…” he said

Andrew thought for a moment and replied “I'll come with you, I'm going to the store to buy cigarettes anyway.” Neil smiled in response. Andrew moved to put his shoes and a jacket on and grabbed his wallet and keys from the counter.

“Bye King” Neil said. “I hope I get to see you again.”

Andrew ignored the feeling in his stomach at the thought of Neil coming back here. He didn't want to think about the fact that he wanted that.

 

They headed out, locking the door behind them and walked down to the Maserati. They drove in silence, neither feeling the need to fill the space with casual talk. A few minutes later, Andrew pulled up at the store and the men headed inside. Neil didn't seem to need anything so Andrew went straight to the counter and requested the cigarettes. He paid and the two of them left the store and headed back outside. They walked to the car and climbed in. Without looking at Neil, Andrew said “I'm going to _The Roof_ for a smoke. Come if you want.”

Neil nodded wordlessly and Andrew started the car. Ten minutes later, they arrived and Andrew parked around back and and stepped inside the shop. Neil followed and they moved as quietly as possible so as not to alert any of the others to their presence. Andrew didn't want to stop for any conversations today, though to be fair, he never did.

He led Neil up the back staircase and opened the door to the roof. Andrew walked to the edge without looking back and sat down, swinging his legs over the side. Neil said nothing but copied his posture. Both men sat in silence watching the afternoon sun, until Andrew reached for the pack of cigarettes and shook two out. Neil took the offered cigarette and lit it with the lighter Andrew tossed at him. Andrew exhaled a stream of smoke and enjoyed the silence. One good thing about Neil was the fact that he didn't always feel the need to talk. He may have shit taste in coffee, but he knew when words weren't necessary.

He watched Neil out of the corner of his eye, careful not to be noticed and made a decision. He stubbed out his cigarette on the concrete and turned to face him. “Yes or no?” he asked. Neil looked somewhat confused and took a moment to look away and stub his cigarette out as well.

“What do you mean?” he responded in a voice lower and quieter than Andrew had ever heard.

Moving slowly and giving Neil the chance to pull away, Andrew reached forward to put his hand on the back of Neil’s neck. Neil’s eyes widened slightly and Andrew heard his breath hitch.

“Yes or no?” he repeated.

“Yes” Neil whispered.

Andrew pulled him in and pressed his lips against Neil’s. Neil inhaled sharply and Andrew was about to pull away, when Neil reached out and and pressed closer. He parted his lips slightly and Andrew took the hint, licking into his mouth. His lips were chapped and he tasted like cigarettes, but Andrew couldn't have cared less. He moved his other hand up to cup Neil’s cheek and felt him smile slightly against his lips. Andrew bit his lower lip and Neil groaned softly in response.

Suddenly it was too much, he was too close and this was bordering dangerously on what other people would call “feelings” and Andrew would privately think of as frightening. This was nothing like his times with Roland. It was too soft, too good and too _much._ Andrew could feel the desire to do this again and again, something that terrified him. His attraction to Neil wasn't supposed to include feelings.

He pulled away and met Neil’s eyes. They were blown black and heavy lidded, his mouth a darker shade of red. Andrew looked away and stood up. Before Neil could say anything, Andrew moved to the door, and walked away from him, back down the stairs. He couldn't go home, not with the memory of Neil there talking to King. He got in his car and started the engine, with no destination in mind. He drove out of the city and tried to ignore the lingering warmth of Neil’s mouth against his.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EEK mild angst. I had to do it but I'm sure things will work out eventually. Thank you for reading!


	11. Feelings??

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to Neil. He's having emotions and thinks about them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! I'm sorry it's taken a while and I'm sorry it's not my best chapter. This week has been not the best and very stressful and I had a very difficult time writing this chapter. It's fairly short but I hope you enjoy it anyway! I will do my best to get another chapter out soon. As always, thank you to everyone for reading, commenting, the bookmarks and the kudos. It makes me very happy to know that people are reading and enjoying this <3

Neil sat on the roof for several minutes after Andrew got up and disappeared. He stared out at the waning light and tried to piece together his thoughts. He didn’t know how to feel. He knew he felt things for Andrew that he didn’t feel for the few other people in his life, but Neil didn’t have a name for what he felt. He wasn’t sure he wanted one. Andrew had become something like his friend in an odd way, but he was somehow something different to Neil than Matt and Dan were. Neil had never felt this way before, but he had never felt that he was missing something. Time spent on the run meant keeping to himself and his mother, and the desire for other people had been beaten out of him long ago. 

And yet he couldn't help but think back to the kiss and how it had felt to have Andrew so close. It had been unexpected but so much better than Neil could have imagined. Andrew hadn't been gentle or soft but Neil hadn’t wanted him to be. Despite all his desires not to feel this way, Neil couldn't ignore the small voice in his head telling him that he had liked it and wanted to do it again. He knew Andrew was his friend and wanted it to stay that way, but he couldn't deny the desire for something more, the  _ want _ he had felt, unlike anything he knew. 

He sighed and stood up, stretching his legs that were cramped from sitting too long. The sun had gone down and it was getting cold so Neil figured it was time to go home. He headed for the door and slipped down the stairs as quietly as possible. Luckily for him, the back door was still unlocked, meaning someone was still in the shop. He stepped back out into the cold air and walked in the direction of him. He suddenly realized that he was starving, not having eaten since breakfast. The idea of cooking exhausted him and so he stepped into the nearest restaurant, which turned out to be a small Thai place. Deciding on Pad Thai with chicken, Neil walked up to the counter and quietly placed his order to go and settled into a corner to wait. Soon enough his food was ready and he thanked them and walked back out of the restaurant and continued on his way home.

 

Upon arriving home, Neil struggled with the lock as always and finally let himself inside the small apartment. Not bothering to put his food in a different bowl, he sat down at his small table in what could barely be described as a living room and began to eat. He focused all his thoughts on dinner and refused to think about the earlier events of the day. Finishing his dinner, Neil headed to the bathroom to wash off the day and get ready to sleep. He had the day off tomorrow and was looking forward to going on a run and staying out of the apartment. He stepped into the shower and decided to acknowledge his own thoughts after pushing them down for most of the evening. He thought back to being in Andrew’s apartment and meeting King. He had an idea just then that he was sure might be a bad one, but nonetheless he decided on one place he would be stopping by tomorrow. Neil didn’t know how to deal with the change in his relationship with Andrew and as he got out of the shower and dressed for bed, he had to resist the urge to text the other man. As much as he wanted to figure out what had happened on the roof, Neil didn’t want to push and he could only hope that Andrew would eventually talk to him. Until then, Neil would push those thoughts out of his mind and try to focus on other things. Lying in bed before he fell asleep he allowed himself to revisit the memory of Andrew’s lips pressed against his, the way his eyes had been blown black, the usual hazel color a faint ring around his pupils. He thought of the warmth of his mouth and how he had tasted like an odd combination of cigarettes and chocolate. He thought of Andrew’s teeth on his lower lip and of his hand on Neil’s face. Neil’s last thought before he succumbed to sleep was of the way Andrew had looked at him with his quiet “yes or no?” The way the fading sun had cast a glow on his face and the look of want in his expression 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was ALL introspection and no dialogue. There will definitely be some actual dialogue in the next chapter and hopefully it'll be longer as well. Thank you for reading!


	12. A Strange Errand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil goes on an errand. But where to??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I managed to get out another chapter! This one doesn't have much plot but I needed to be cheered up and also throw some nice things in here, so here we are. Thank you all for reading and for the kudos, comments, subscriptions, and bookmarks! I appreciate every single one and they make me so happy

Neil woke later than usual the next morning. He stretched out briefly in the bed before getting up and pulling on a pair of running shorts and a plain t-shirt. Forgoing any food, Neil slipped into his shoes and grabbed his keys. He purposefully ignored his phone, leaving it lying on the kitchen counter where he had left it the night before. Neil left the apartment without another glance and locked the door behind himself. Jogging down the stairs, he stepped out into the morning and began to run. Following his usual route for the usual five miles, Neil focused all his energy on running and effects on his body. The steady pounding of his heart, the faint ache in his legs, the way his muscles worked as he increased speed. All too soon, he was looping back home and he ran up the stairs, back into the apartment. Following a quick shower, Neil dressed in plain jeans and a large grey sweater. Slipping on his worn converse and jacket, he left the apartment once more, this time heading out on his possibly ill-advised errand.  Neil walked for about twenty minutes and soon he arrived at his destination. Stepping inside the building, he headed for the front desk. 

 

“Hey welcome! What can I help you with today?” A girl with almost white bleached blond hair pulled up messily in a clip looked up from the computer and smiled. 

“Yeah I'm here to visit the cats.” 

“Okay no problem, just give me one minute and I can take you back!” 

Neil nodded and stepped away, examining his surroundings and listening to the faint sound of dogs barking. The girl returned soon enough and motioned for Neil to follower her. She led him down a short hallway and opened the door to their right. He stepped in and was almost immediately accosted by eager cats. Feeling a warmth settle in his chest Neil sat down on the floor and let the cats settle on his lap. He took notice a very soft looking and pudgy grey cat as it climbed into his lap and settled in, purring happily when Neil ran his hand over the soft fur. Up close, he noticed the cat’s ears, smallish and squished forward onto its head. 

Neil smiled and felt a strange tug on protectiveness. He realized that he was growing more and more attached as the minutes dragged on. 

“Oh you've met Sir! Technically his full name is Sir Fatcat McCatterson, but I prefer Sir.” 

Neil laughed in return and had to agree that Sir was a much better name for him. 

“I uhh. I think I'll take him” Neil said hesitantly. The girl beamed and gestured for him to follow her back to the desk. He gently lifted the cat off of his lap and followed the girl out. Once they returned to the desk, she handed him a clipboard of paperwork to fill out. 

“I'll go get him ready while you fill those out.”

Neil nodded and started on the paperwork. He finally finished a few minutes later and he sat and waited for the girl to return. She reappeared, carrying a small pet carrier with Sir safely tucked inside. She smiled again and accepted the card Neil gave her. She quickly processed the transaction and handed Neil back his card. She handed Neil the carrier and wished him luck. He said his thanks and walked out the door. He did his best not to jostle the carrier on the walk home and soon enough he arrived back home and carefully carried the cat up the stairs. 

Once in the apartment, Neil set the carrier down and slowly unlatched the door and carefully coaxed Sir out into the room. 

 

The cat sniffed around for a bit and then settled himself in the beanbag Neil used as a chair. Neil headed out to the store to buy cat food, a proper bed, a litter box and cat litter. He returned home and found Sir where he had left him. He set up the cat bed for Sir in case he decided to explore it later. Neil walked into the small kitchen and made himself a small salad for dinner. He finished eating a few minutes later and set the bowl aside to wash tomorrow. Looking at where his phone lay on the counter, Neil sighed and picked it up to bring with him. He entered his bedroom and got ready for sleep. Once in bed he took out his phone and was surprised and nervous to see a message from Andrew waiting for him. Taking a deep breath, Neil opened the text.

**Andrew (4.35):** _ The Roof tomorrow. Come as soon as you're off work.  _

Neil didn't know what to make of the message and felt nerves arise. But he texted back a moment later.

**Me (8.45):** **_Okay. See you tomorrow. Looking forward to it._ **

Neil had to force himself to write the last sentence, but he also couldn't not say it. He pressed send and sighed, resting the phone on his chest. Less than a minute later his phone buzzed.

**Andrew (8.45):** _ 112% Josten  _

 

Neil smiled and shut off his phone. He rolled over in bed and thought about Sir and the opportunity see Andrew tomorrow. He shut his eyes and soon exhaustion took over. 


	13. Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew goes back to work, talking happens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Sorry it's taken a bit to get this chapter out. I'm graduating in a week (??) and so things are kind of terrible and stressful and super busy. But in the meantime, here's this chapter and I hope you enjoy it! As always, thank you all for the kudos and comments <3 They mean so much to me.

Andrew opened his eyes the next morning with a mumbled groan. He had barely slept the night before and was woken by the shrill sound of his alarm after only two hours of sleep. He was due at work in an hour and was dreading the day more than usual. He hated interacting with customers usually and he didn't want to think about what he would say to Neil later in the day. He knew he wanted Neil, wanted him in a way that scared him but he also knew he wasn't ready. 

“Fuck” he mumbled and moved to get out of bed. Andrew went about his morning routine, making sure to add extra sugar to his coffee before taking it to go and walking out the door to drive to work. He arrived at  _ The Roof  _ a few minutes later and ignored Nicky’s cheerful greeting. He took his place behind the counter and braced himself for the flow of people. Kevin was working with him today but he was far too surly to interact with customers, making Andrew the less unpleasant of the two and leaving him stuck with dealing the customers. Andrew amused himself for a few hours by writing the wrong names on the cups, annoying both Kevin and the customers. 

Soon enough it was time for his lunch break and he stole a slice of chocolate cake and headed up to the roof. He sat up there and upon finishing the cake, smoked two cigarettes and stared out towards  _ Damn! Flowers _ . He couldn't decide if he wanted to see Neil. Andrew hadn't forgotten the feeling of Neil’s mouth pressed against his, the way he had groaned at the feeling of Andrew’s teeth on his lip and the way that one small sound had twisted Andrew’s stomach in a way he couldn't deal with. Andrew had wanted to kiss Neil ever since he'd first shown up at  _ The Roof,  _ but he had hoped that the desire would fade either with time or with a quick attempt at resolution of the issue. Unfortunately for him, neither had happened and here he was, feeling too much and unable to process it. He threw his still burning cigarette over the ledge and stood up to return to work. The rest of his shift passed fairly quickly and a few hours later, he gathered his things and headed back up to the roof to wait for Neil. He smoked another cigarette in the meantime and didn't have to wait long. Neil showed up about ten minutes later and went over to sit next to Andrew, making sure not to sit too close.

“Hey” 

Andrew glanced up and Neil and his stomach flipped at the open expression on Neil’s face. 

“Hey” he returned. 

They sat in silence for a while, both just sitting on the ledge staring at the other buildings surrounding them. 

“So about the other day” Neil started to speak, his tone quiet. 

Andrew cut him off before he could say anything else. 

“It's fine, it was a mistake and it won't happen again.” Andrew tried to ignore the way Neil’s face fell ever so slightly. 

“Can I- can we still be friends?” Neil’s tone was hesitant but his face was earnest, eyes burning into Andrew’s. 

Against his better judgement Andrew nodded and Neil let out a small sigh of relief. He spoke again. 

“I got a cat yesterday. You should come meet him.” 

Andrew gave an affirmative hum in response and lit up another cigarette. Handing one to Neil as well, they went back to sitting in silence, Andrew quickly chasing the nicotine from his cigarette and Neil cupping his close to his face in order to breathe in the smoke, watching as the filter burned down to ash. After several minutes of this Neil stood up and looked down at Andrew. 

“I should probably get going. I need to go feed Sir and try to get some sleep.” 

Andrew nodded, still not looking at him. 

“We’re okay yeah?” Neil asked, his tone quiet. 

Andrew finally looked up into pale blue of Neil’s eyes. The setting sun emphasized the auburn of his hair and sent a fading glow across his face. He fought against the emotions filling his chest and forced himself to speak. 

“Yes. We’re okay. I’ll see you for lunch tomorrow.” 

Neil smiled and Andrew’s heart clenched uncomfortably. He ignored it. 

“Yeah, okay. Try to eat something other than cake for once. You’re going to give yourself diabetes.” 

Andrew glared at him and Neil laughed softly. Andrew turned away and he listened as Neil walked back to the door and let himself off the roof. He watched the street below until he saw Neil come out and watched him start the walk home. Andrew forced himself to turn away and walk back downstairs, get in his car, and drive back to his apartment. Once there, he kicked off his shoes and headed for the shower. Part of him regretted pushing Neil away, but he tried to convince himself that he had made the right choice. He toweled off and changed into sleep clothes and foregoing dinner, he crawled into bed and tried to force himself to sleep. It only took an hour of lying in the dark before sleep eventually overtook him. 


	14. What the fuck are feelings?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil and Andrew have lunch and Andrew eats too much cake again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I feel bad for not updating for so long but I graduated college?? It's been a busy wild ride and I haven't had the time to write. I hope all you lovely readers are doing well and thank you for the continued support! It always makes my day to see more subscribers, kudos, and comments. You're all wonderful. Anywho, I hope you guys like this chapter! I'll make sure I don't go so long without posting again! <3

Neil woke the next morning to the sun heating his bed to an unpleasant temperature. Throwing the covers off himself, Neil got out of bed and fumbled for the first pair of jeans and t-shirt he could find. Foregoing a shower, he pulled on the clothes and headed to the tiny kitchen to make himself a small breakfast. Finishing up quickly, Neil slipped on his coat and shoes, grabbed his keys and left his apartment, careful to lock it behind him. It was a cool morning, but the sun was out in full swing, rapidly heating the concrete sidewalk. He walked quickly, and soon arrived at the flower shop. Entering through the back door he walked into the office, hung up his coat and tied on his apron. Matt poked his head around the door. 

“Morning Neil! How’re things?”   

“Fine” Neil answered, despite the knowledge that the others often teased him for his overuse of the word fine when describing himself. 

“How are you?” 

“Great! I think I’ve convinced Dan to get a puppy!” Matt’s smile was too bright for Neil not to give a small smile in return. 

“That’s great, let me know how it goes.” 

Matt nodded and smiled again, disappearing behind the door. Neil headed to the back room and began to take inventory, noting that they needed to buy another pair of the large scissors Dan used to work on particularly tough stems. 

 

Soon enough, noon rolled around and Neil removed his apron and grabbed the granola bar he planned to eat for lunch. Slipping his coat on, he waved goodbye to Matt and headed across the street for his lunch with Andrew. He stepped into  _ The Roof  _ and was met with a cheerful hello from Nicky. 

“Hey Neil! If you're here for Andrew he's waiting out by the stairs.”

Neil nodded and walked back to the stairs where Andrew was waiting, holding a plate with a too-large slice of red velvet cake balanced on it. Upon spotting Neil, he turned around and began to climb the stairs to the roof. Reaching the door, he pulled it open and walked to the ledge, sitting down and shoving a forkful of cake into his mouth. Neil moved to sit next to him, careful not to sit too close. 

“Hey” he said softly. 

“Hi” Andrew returned. Glancing up at Neil he took another bite of cake and turned away again. 

“How’s your day been?” Neil asked him, staring out at the horizon. 

“Fine. We had one of the horrible rich moms today, yelled at Nicky so I made her coffee with full fat milk and real sugar instead of that low-calorie sweetener crap.” 

Neil laughed, it was such a typical Andrew thing to do. 

“Is Nicky alright?” 

“Yeah fine, he sulked for a while until Kevin told him to get his shit together.” 

 

Neil laughed again and the two fell silent, staring out over the rooftops. Andrew pulled out his cigarettes, silently offering one to Neil. Neil took it and held it close, greedily inhaling the smoke. They sat there for a while, neither one saying anything. Some time later, Neil pulled out his phone to check the time. It was 12.50, he had ten minutes left before he was due back at the shop. He stood up and turned towards the door.

“I’ve got to get back but do you want to come by this weekend and meet the cat?” 

Andrew hummed slightly and Neil took that as a yes. Neil turned back to look at him and regretted it. The sun lit up Andrew’s hair, turning it gold and from this angle Neil could see the sharp line of his jaw. Memories of Andrew’s mouth pressed against his rushed back and Neil wished more than anything in that moment that he could say what he was thinking.  _ I miss you and I don’t want to. I want you to kiss me again.  _ Before the words could slip out, he turned back towards the door and hurried off the roof and headed back to  _ Damn! Flowers.  _ Dan sat at one of the work tables and looked up when he came in. 

“Hey Neil, good break?” 

He nodded silently and went to the backroom to remove his coat and punch in again. 

  
The rest of the day passed at an agonizingly slow pace and by the time five o’clock rolled around, Neil was itching to go home, take a shower and pass out, too eager to forget his lunch with Andrew and the feelings that had taken up residence inside him. He waved goodbye to Dan and Matt, ignoring Aaron as usual and started his walk home. As he went, Neil had the unpleasant feeling of being watched, but he forced himself to shake it off and blamed his ever-present paranoia. He arrived home a short while later and took the stairs two at a time. Neil opened his front door and almost immediately knew something was off. Sir was nowhere to be seen, an odd occurrence seeing as he had formed the habit of greeting Neil at the door and aggressively meowing at him until Neil refilled his food bowl. Before he could take another step, a shadow moved behind him and someone wrapped their hands around his neck. Neil’s mind flashed blind panic as he fought to stay conscious. He aimed a kick behind him at his attacker and felt it connect, heard the pained grunt. He reached out again but the hands were too tight and he felt himself slipping away. Neil’s last thought before he blacked out was of Andrew and the light washing over his face on the roof. He succumbed to the darkness before he could think anything else. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeek I'm sorry about the end of this chapter. I just had to do it, I hope you forgive me.


	15. Missing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew gets fed up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! I'm trying to get back into the swing of writing and it's a long process but I'm hoping to get back to more regular updates. As always, thank you to everyone who has read, commented, left kudos, and bookmarked. It really means so much to me! <3

Andrew Minyard didn't worry. It wasn't in his nature to waste time doing so. He preferred to collect information and use it and his knives to keep the few people he cared about safe. However, when Neil didn't show up the next day for their usual lunch, he was annoyed, but with a vague undercurrent of dark curiosity as to Neil’s whereabouts. He shook it off and finished his cigarette, going back downstairs to finish his shift. Neil could take care of himself and Andrew wouldn't waste time worrying about the idiot. Or so he told himself. But before going to bed that night, he couldn't resist sending the idiot a message. 

**Me (11.20):** _ Standing me up now Josten? You wound me. Although I suppose it means more cigarettes for me. If you're not there tomorrow I'm raising your percentage to 500 _

Andrew shut off his phone and attempted to sleep. At six the next morning his alarm blared and he suppressed a groan into his pillow. Turning on his phone, he was surprised to find no snarky reply from Neil. He never passed up an opportunity to respond sarcastically to Andrew’s comments and his silence was odd. Andrew forced himself to get up and wipe Neil from his mind. Neil was an adult for god’s sake and even more so, he wasn't Andrew’s boyfriend. He was  _ nothing.  _ Andrew pushed away the whisper in his brain that argued otherwise and stepped into the scalding shower. After stuffing two pieces of Nutella toast into his mouth, he left for work. Tomorrow was one of his days off and Andrew couldn't wait for a day of peace and quiet, not needing to fill orders for the many bratty customers  _ The Roof  _ attracted. Arriving at work he set about doing the opening tasks and readying himself for Kevin’s surliness. He could never decide whether or not working the front with Kevin was better than working it with Nicky. On the one hand, Kevin was never loud and cheerful like Nicky. But on the other, he was hypercritical of everything and seemed to enjoy pointing out everyone’s “mistakes.” He could also never resist giving Andrew a lecture on his cake consumption and how it was slowly killing him. Andrew often responded to these comments with a sharp retort about how Kevin’s liver surely didn't appreciate him drowning himself in vodka.

 

The day passed slowly and by the time lunch rolled around, Andrew was more than ready for his cigarette and cake. He perused the case and decided on the Black Forest cake. Gathering the cake, his coat, and his cigarettes, Andrew headed up to the roof. He had made his way through one cigarette and the slice of cake and Neil still hadn’t shown. He lit another cigarette and indulged the growing feelings of irritation and concern. He gave up on the cigarette halfway through and tossed it over the side of the roof. He stood up and made a decision. He didn’t like not knowing and would make a visit to the idiot’s apartment after work. He’d kick down the door if he had to. Neil was really going to owe him cake after all this. Likely an entire cake  _ and _ ice cream. Andrew walked back down the stairs and got back to work. He was grateful that he had taken his break a little later than usual because it meant he only had two hours left of his shift. The hours inched by and he barely resisted punching Kevin after one too many comments. Three o’clock finally rolled around and Andrew ignored Nicky’s cheerful goodbye and headed out to the Maserati. His eidetic memory guided him easily to Neil’s apartment and soon he had parked the car and was slowly climbing the stairs. He refused to rush, he was breaking enough of his rules just by coming here in the first place. Three flights later he was cursing Neil for living on the top floor and he finally came to the door. He knocked loudly. No response so he knocked again, harder than the first time. Still nothing.  _ What the fuck Neil.  _ His knocking was becoming pounding at this point and he was getting annoyed. 

“Neil answer the fucking door or I swear to god I’ll break it down.” 

Andrew took a step back and was preparing to kick the door when he heard soft footsteps. He paused and listened as the locks turned and the door slowly cracked open. Once it was open wide enough to see in, Andrew froze. 

“What the fuck happened to you Neil?”  


	16. Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew sees Neil all beat up and aggressive caretaking happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 16! How have I written sixteen chapters of this?? I can't stop. Anyway, this one is longer and I really hope you all like it! I also hope it makes up for the two terrible cliffhangers in a row I left you with. I swear it wasn't on purpose. I really love this chapter and I hope you enjoy it! Also I'm sorry if Andrew is a bit ooc here, but I really wanted to write him like this for the chapter. Big thank you as always to everyone who reads, comments, subscribes, bookmarks and leaves kudos! It makes me really happy and I appreciate you all so much! <3

Neil woke to the sound of pounding on his front door. He jolted up in bed and groaned quietly, remembering his injuries. His pain addled brain attempted to convince him that Romero had returned from the dead and was standing outside his door. Neil knew it was impossible. The fight with Romero had ended with Neil pushing him over the balcony to the ground below. Neil had left the apartment and walked to a payphone several blocks away and called in an anonymous tip. He had then snuck back into his apartment and had spent the rest of the night patching himself up in the dark, fearful to turn on the lights. He had eventually coaxed Sir out of his hiding place and he had kept Neil company through the night. Neil eventually succumbed to sleep at six in the morning and had been asleep until the knocking on his door woke him in a panic. He waited for whoever it was to give up, but they were very persistent. He was just considering whether or not he had the strength to fight off another attacker when a voice came through the door. 

“Neil answer the fucking door or I swear to god I’ll break it down.” 

Andrew. Things had been a bit tense between them since Andrew dismissed kissing Neil as a mistake and Neil had a hard time imagining why Andrew was at his door. Fighting off the voice in his head that told him to stay put and ignore Andrew, Neil slowly got out of bed and shuffled to the door. He glanced through the peephole and sure enough, a very irritated looking Andrew Minyard was waiting in the hall. Taking a deep breath, Neil slowly unlatched the door and cracked it open. Andrew’s eyes widened slightly as he took in Neil’s battered and bruised appearance. 

“What the fuck happened to you Neil?”

Neil opened his mouth to respond but Andrew cut him off before he could say anything. 

“You better not say ‘I'm fine’” Andrew growled. 

“Hey, um, what are you doing here?” Neil replied 

Andrew gave him a patronizing look and said 

“When you didn't show up for our lunch two days in a row I figured I'd come by to make sure no one had killed you yet.” 

Neil’s head was pounding and he couldn't  hold back his reply. 

“You were worried about me.” He said with a small smile. 

Andrew scoffed. 

“More worried about your cat Josten. I had planned to steal him if you kept not showing up.” 

Neil smiled again and then grimaced as pain shot through him. Andrew was quick to notice his expression and gestured that he wanted to come into the apartment. Neil stood aside to let him in and Andrew entered, heading for his bathroom. Neil was curious but his questions were answered when Andrew came back holding painkillers, bandages, surgical tape, and disinfectant. He then moved into Neil’s tiny kitchen and riffled through his cupboards, returning with a bottle of vodka. He pushed Neil into the center of the room and shoved the bottle at him. 

“Drink this. It's going to sting and you'll need alcohol.” 

Neil saw no point in arguing so he unscrewed the cap and took a long drink. He shuddered. Years on the run had grown him used to alcohol, his mother using it for the same reason Andrew was now, but Neil never could like the taste. 

 

Andrew gestured for Neil to remove his shirt and rolled his eyes when Neil couldn't get it past his arms. Andrew reached up and eased the shirt over his head, taking in the dark bruises and cuts littering Neil's torso. Neil had done his best to clean and patch his wounds yesterday but blood had seeped through some of the bandages and others were threatening to peel off. Andrew set about removing the bandages one by one, his fingers light on Neil's skin. Neither of them spoke as he worked and Neil took another drink of vodka to stop himself from saying anything stupid. He felt uncomfortable with Andrew seeing his scars and the mess that was his torso, but at the same time, a small part of him enjoyed Andrew’s gaze. Against his better judgment, he swept his eyes over Andrew’s torso and tried to imagine what he would look like without his shirt. His gaze shifted lower and Neil blushed. 

“Staring” Andrew muttered without looking up. Neil coughed slightly and looked up at the ceiling, willing himself to let go of thoughts of Andrew pressing him against the wall. 

 

Soon the bandages were gone and Andrew set about disinfecting the wounds. Neil clenched his jaw slightly and took another swallow of vodka. Andrew worked quickly and methodically and soon, he had finished applying the fresh bandages and left the room with the used ones. He came back and shook two painkillers into his palm and handed them to Neil. 

“Have you eaten?” He asked, his tone bored. 

Neil shook his head. Andrew rolled his eyes and directed Neil to his couch and headed into the kitchen. He listened as Andrew clattered around in the kitchen and twenty minutes later, he returned holding two plates each laden with several pancakes. Andrew had drenched them in syrup and Neil struggled to force them down. He made it through two of the pancakes before Andrew seemed satisfied. He carried the plates to the kitchen and came back holding a glass of water. 

“Drink this. Where's your bedroom?” 

Neil stood up and taking the glass of water, lead Andrew into his room. Andrew rifled around his Neil’s closet and threw a sweatshirt at him. After helping Neil ease it over his head and arms, Andrew pushed Neil down onto his bed. 

“Sleep idiot. You look awful.” 

Neil smiled slightly and lay back against the pillows. 

“Andrew. Will you-” Neil cut himself off and looked away. 

Andrew glared. 

“What? Will I what?” 

“Will you stay?” Neil was embarrassed to ask and prepared himself for Andrew’s no.

“Yes.” Neil opened his eyes and looked at him. Andrew had turned away and was pulling a cigarette out of the pack in his jeans. Walking more towards the window, he lit the cigarette and opened the window, blowing out a thin stream of smoke. 

 

Neil let himself drift off to sleep, listening to the flick of Andrew’s lighter. When he woke again it was dark and it took him a moment to remember where he was. He was about to sit up when a hand on his forehead gently pushed him back down. The hand moved hesitantly into his hair and began to card through his ruffled curls, smoothing out the knots. Andrew’s nails scratched lightly at his scalp and Neil let out a small sound of pleasure. Andrew’s hand stilled for a moment before resuming its movements. 

“Go back to sleep” Andrew muttered and Neil convinced himself that his exhausted brain imagined the sight hoarseness in Andrew’s tone. He drifted off to sleep and for once his dreams weren't filled with memories of knives cutting into his flesh. He dreamt of hazel eyes, hands on his body and the smell of cigarettes. 

 


	17. Progress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil wakes up in the middle of the night, Andrew's there. Also, Andrew meets Sir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god this chapter. It escalates a lot and some of you may notice that I upped the rating for this fic so. Yeah. Anways, I'm very very nervous to post this and I'm sorry if it feels too ooc, but I tried to stay consistent with how I've been writing them so far. But I hope this chapter is alright and I really hope you enjoy it! As always, thank you so much for the lovely comments and kudos <3

Andrew sat near Neil as he slept and smoked until his lungs protested. He shouldn't still be by Neil’s side and he knew it, but he hadn't been able to stop himself when Neil had asked him to stay. Andrew knew every part of this was a bad idea. His self-control was cracking and he was coming to the realization that for once in his life, he really truly wanted something, no,  _ someone.  _ He wanted Neil. 

Andrew cursed quietly and lit another cigarette. Knowing his lungs couldn't handle the smoke, he simply held it near him and watched as the smoke spiraled up towards the ceiling. He wouldn't sleep tonight. He wouldn't sleep when Neil was this vulnerable and he couldn't stomach the idea of being asleep in someone else’s presence. He glanced at Neil’s sleeping form and tried to process what he was feeling. 

 

He thought about his many experiments in juvie and with Roland and how none of them had some close to making him feel something. But Neil? Neil was a problem, a pipe dream. Something Andrew couldn't have. Someone he wanted against all his better judgement. Andrew stubbed out his cigarette and was about to head to the kitchen for a drink when Neil stirred. Thinking the idiot had woken up again, Andrew turned back, only to find Neil still fast asleep. As he stood up from his position next to the bed, Neil made a muffled sound. He shifted and mumbled again, but this time Andrew could hear the word. 

“ _ Andrew _ .” 

Andrew’s chest constricted uncomfortably and he froze where he stood. Neil twisted in the sheets and the next sound he made was almost certainly a soft moan, wrapped around Andrew’s name. Andrew couldn't stay in the room any longer. He grabbed his cigarettes and moved to the kitchen in the dark and leaned against the counter, muttering a curse under his breath. He couldn't forget how Neil had looked just then, the pull of want Andrew had experienced at the sounds he had made. 

 

“Fuck.” He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and tried to forget the events of the last few minutes. He stayed pressed against the counter for some time before he heard the shuffling of feet as Neil made his way into the kitchen. 

“Something wake you?” Andrew asked, attempting to make his tone as bored as possible. 

Neil nodded and didn't meet his eyes. Even in the darkened room, Andrew could see the color high on Neil’s cheekbones. 

“I'm sorry, I uh. Had a dream and um.” Neil cut himself off and gestured down, Andrew’s eyes following the motion. 

“You're hard.” 

Neil blushed again and looked away. 

“I-I'm sorry, I can't help it. You…” 

“I what?” Andrew asked. This was not a conversation he had expected to have but it seemed neither of them could stop now. 

“I. I don’t want to just be your friend Andrew.” He sighed and continued, his tone hesitant. “I know you think kissing me was a mistake and I understand that you don't feel the same way. We can just forget this whole conversation.” Neil let out a long breath and shifted as if to leave the room. 

 

Andrew made up his mind and was in front of Neil in an instant. Neil looked up in surprise as Andrew pressed him against the counter. 

“How's your head?” Andrew asked. He refused to continue whatever this was if Neil was unable to make the right decisions because of his injuries. 

Neil blinked in confusion but quickly answered. 

“It's fi- I’m okay Andrew. It doesn't hurt.” 

Andrew stared at him for a solid minute before he leaned in and asked 

“Yes or no Neil?” 

Neil’s answer was barely a whisper. 

“Yes Andrew.” 

Andrew pushed forward, and Neil leaned in, meeting him halfway. Almost immediately Neil parted his lips and Andrew took the opportunity to lick into his mouth. Neil groaned against his lips but kept his hands balled into fists at his side, ever conscious of Andrew’s desire not to be touched. 

 Andrew moved one hand down between the two of them and reached into Neil’s sweats. Neil moaned his name as Andrew began to stroke him, the pre-come he found there easing the rough movements of his hand. Andrew leaned forward and kissed Neil, biting harshly at his lower lip. Neil twisted his head to the side, panting to catch his breath. 

“Fuck, Andrew. I'm so close.” 

His warning only spurred Andrew on and with his free hand he reached up and brought Neil’s face back down to his, catching his mouth in a rough kiss. On the next upstroke Andrew twisted his wrist and Neil shuddered, coming hard between them and muffling a curse into Andrew’s mouth. 

 

They stood together for a moment, Neil trying to catch his breath and Andrew trying to stay in the present. After a few more moments, Andrew withdrew his hand and wiped it on Neil’s shirt, smirking slightly at Neil’s grimace. He watched as Neil’s gaze shifted lower and waited for Neil’s unspoken question. 

“Do you want-?” Andrew cut Neil off with a shake of his head. 

“Okay” Neil said, his face relaxed and clear of anything resentful

“Go back to sleep.” Andrew pulled Neil in for one last bruising kiss and watched as he headed back into his bedroom. 

 

Andrew waited until he heard the bedroom door click shut before locking himself in the bathroom. It didn't take much to bring himself off. A few rough strokes and the memory of Neil’s face when he came sent Andrew over the edge, choking quietly on something that sounded too much like Neil’s name. Andrew cleaned himself up and took a few breaths before leaving the bathroom and going to sit by the living room window, lighting up a cigarette as he went. He sat there as the sky slowly lightened and was joined at one point by a pudgy grey cat, who meowed once and jumped up to sit next next to Andrew. He ran his hands lightly over the cat’s soft fur and blew smoke out the window. He needed to sort through what this meant, he needed to go home, he needed to buy some damn cigarettes. But for now, Andrew sat by the window with the cat by his side and watched the sun rise. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So smut happened?? I'm still working on getting comfortable writing it so I hope it was alright this time. Thank you for reading! <3 <3


	18. Where do we go from here?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day. Neil goes to work, Aaron is sulky and King and Sir make appearances during the day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! *Inserts "It's been 84 years" meme here.* I'm so sorry for taking so long to update! I've been trying to deal with writer's block and trying to learn how to be a real adult and it's been a lot. As always, thank you all so much for the support for this fic! It's been a real joy to write and share with you all. So, I'm thinking that I'll be wrapping the story up soon so there may only be one or two more chapters left. But I do want to keep writing after this so if any of you have thoughts/wishes for a fic, feel free to let me know! As always, you're welcome to come say hi on tumblr (Tsnazzzzz) if you'd like! 
> 
> Anyway, much love to you all, I hope these past few weeks have been going well for everyone! I'll shut up now and let you read <3  
> P.S. Happy Pride to all my fellow LGBTQ+ readers!

Neil woke the next morning with a pounding headache. His injuries were improving but he had forgotten to take painkillers before he fell asleep for the second time the night before and his body was protesting. Last night. Neil lay back down and flashes of the night resurfaced. He remembered falling asleep with Andrew’s fingers combing through his hair, remembered his dream and the feeling of embarrassment when he woke up. Neil thought back to the events in his kitchen last night and fought the blush that threatened to rise on his cheeks. Wiping that thought out of his mind, he swung his legs over the side of his bed and pulled on the sweatshirt lying on the floor. Still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he padded into the kitchen to find something to eat and make himself some strong coffee. To his surprise, he found Andrew sitting on his windowsill, Sir perched next to him. The window was open and Andrew was blowing smoke out in a thin stream. He turned around as he heard Neil’s hesitant footsteps.

“There's coffee” he said quietly, gesturing to the countertop. Neil nodded and went to pour himself a cup. Turning back around, he found Andrew watching him, the cigarette in his hand almost burned down to the filter.

 

Neil shuffled over to sit next to him, careful to leave enough space between them. They sat in silence for a while, drinking their coffee. Eventually Sir started meowing insistently and biting at Andrew’s hands, a sign that he was no longer willing to wait for breakfast. Neil hauled him up and away from Andrew’s hands and brought him to the kitchen, plopping him down onto the counter. He set about making a bowl of food for him and placed it in front of Sir a minute later. The cat attacked it with vigor and Neil smiled slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Andrew stood up and headed towards the kitchen. Once there, he dropped his mug into the sink, not bothering to wash it and went to stand in front of Neil.

“Yes or no?” he asked.

“Yes” Neil nodded his consent.

Andrew pushed himself up and pressed a quick kiss to Neil’s lips. He pulled away quickly and went to slip on his shoes and jacket.

“Dinner tonight. Meet me outside _The Roof_ when you're off work.”

Neil nodded and barely contained his smile. Andrew rolled his eyes and left, closing the door firmly behind himself.

 

Neil set about getting changed for work and making a quick breakfast of instant oatmeal. Twenty minutes later, he gave Sir a pat on the head (receiving a loving bite in return) and headed off to work. He was pleased to find Matt working, although less pleased to find Aaron sulking about as he helped a blond woman in her sixties who was chattering on about how “the roses she ordered for her wife’s birthday were _too_ pink and how she really wanted _pale_ pink and white ones and was that so hard to understand??”

Neil found it somewhat amusing to watch Aaron don his customer service face as he did his best to calm the woman down and find better roses. Dan greeted Neil as he headed into the back to hang up his coat and clock in. He spent the first few hours of his shift unloading new flowers and trimming the stems, stripping off the thorns and some of the leaves. After finishing with them, he dropped off the new flowers at Matt’s workstation where he would arrange them.

Around three, the bell above the door chimed and Neil heard the distinctive voice of one Allison Reynolds. He had met Allison only once, but it she had made an intense impression. Fierce, passionate, loud. She was overwhelming to say the least. Neil was unashamed to admit that he was hiding from her as he shuffled further back into the supply closet. Allison was one of the very few people who actually intimidated Neil. He ignored the chatter of voices and went back to doing inventory. Twenty minutes later, the door chimed again as Allison left. He spent the last few hours of his shift organizing the back rooms and watching Matt as he made arrangements and gushed about the new puppy he and Dan had recently gotten.

 

Five thirty rolled around soon enough and Neil gathered his things, clocked out, said a quick goodbye to Matt and Dan and headed across the street to meet Andrew. Andrew was already waiting for him, smoking silently and staring at nothing.

“Hey” Neil greeted him as he walked up.

Andrew nodded in response and lead them to the Maserati. Neil slid into the passenger seat and Andrew started the engine and pulled onto the main road.

“Where are we going?” Neil asked.

“My place” Andrew answered.

Neil nodded and they drove the rest of the way in silence.

Neil had only been to Andrew’s apartment once, but it was the same as he remembered. King greeted them enthusiastically and Neil sat down on the floor to pet him. Andrew rolled his eyes and went to the kitchen and began clattering around quietly. A few minutes later, Neil pulled himself away from King and went to the kitchen. He found Andrew at the stove making what appeared to be omelettes. Neil smiled and watched him cook.

“Staring” Andrew murmured. Neil smirked slightly to himself and headed back into the main room to play with King.

 

A few minutes later, Andrew appeared in the doorway.

“Come on idiot, the eggs are getting cold.”

Neil followed him back into the kitchen and they sat down at Andrew’s counter. He had made them both mushroom and goat cheese omelettes and Neil was surprised to find both chives and rosemary in them as well. He found it interesting that a man seemingly so apathetic could cook so well. They ate in silence, Neil knowing that his compliments about the omelettes would likely be met with either a scoff or an eye roll. They finished eating and Andrew pulled out his cigarettes, offering one to Neil. He took it and they went to sit by the window in Andrew’s living room, letting the smoke from their cigarettes float out into the night.

“What do you want from me Neil?” Andrew asked after a while.

“What do you mean?” Neil responded with some confusion.

Andrew gestured between them,

“This. What do you want?”

Neil thought for a moment, breathing in the smoke from his cigarette.

“I want whatever you’ll give me Andrew. I want you.”

Andrew scoffed lightly and took another drag of his cigarette.

“You want me.”

“Yeah. I do.”

“Shut up.”

 

With that, Andrew leaned in and kissed him. Neil sighed into his mouth and let out a small hum of pleasure, receiving a sharp bite to his lower lip in return. Andrew moved his hands to Neil’s wrists and guided Neil’s hands to his hair. Neil tried to restrain the smile that threatened to break over his face at the small gesture of trust. Andrew pulled away after a few minutes and lit another cigarette, blowing the smoke in Neil’s face. Neil laughed and looked out the open window over the neighboring roofs. He looked back down at a nudge at his hand and smiled as Andrew laced their fingers together. The two sat in silence for the next few hours, Andrew smoking and Neil content to hold his hand and stare out into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to smolmoll04 for the hand holding inspiration. I couldn't help myself


	19. Friendventures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil and Matt get to have some fun friend times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Hello! I'm back again. I have no excuse for taking so long to update other than writer's block really but here we are! I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot and I hope you enjoy reading! As always, thank you all for your kind words and kudos and support! It makes me very happy to be able to share this with you all! <3 <3

At 9.15 the next morning, Neil's phone chimed loudly indicating a new message and he groaned slightly at the noise. After fumbling for the phone he checked the screen to find a message from Matt waiting for him. 

**Matt (9.15):** _ Hey man! Since the shop is closed today I was thinking we could go do something! Have you ever been to the aquarium?? It's awesome :)  _

Neil smiled a little at Matt’s enthusiasm. He hadn't planned anything for the day and he was interested in sea creatures, so it sounded like fun. He had briefly woken earlier that morning when Andrew had crawled out of bed and gotten dressed. Andrew had uttered a quiet goodbye and told him to go back to sleep. Neil had been tired enough to do just that and had slept for another few hours before Matt’s text woke him up again. He was still a bit surprised that Andrew had followed him into bed late last night, feeling certain that he would stay up again or leave. But Andrew had shut him up with a quick kiss and wedged himself between Neil and the wall. Neil shook himself out of his thoughts and picked up the phone again.

**Me (9.21): That sounds like fun. What time?**

Less than a minute later Matt replied. 

**Matt (9.21):** _ Awesome! How does 11 sound? I can pick you up!  _

**Me (9.23): Works for me. See you then**

 

Neil put down the phone and swung his legs over the side of his bed. He was recovering well from the attack and was left mostly with the cuts and a few vivid bruises that would fade with time. In the bathroom, he took a hot shower wincing slightly as the water hit his still fresh cuts. After finishing up, he carefully dried off and re bandaged the wounds. He pulled on a soft grey shirt and a pair of worn jeans, effectively covering most of his injuries. His face was still slightly bruised but there wasn't much he could do about that so he prepared himself for Matt’s reaction. He spent the next hour puttering around making breakfast and putting out food for Sir. At 10.58 there was a knock on his door and he slipped on his shoes, grabbed his keys and opened the door. 

“Hey Neil! You ready to see some badass sea creatures?” 

Matt’s smile was huge and infectious. 

“Hey yeah, I’m ready to go.” 

 

Before Neil could move out into the hallway, Matt caught sight of some of the bruises on Neil's face.

“Shit are you okay?? What happened to you?” 

Neil sighed and resigned himself to the fact that Matt wouldn't let it go until he got the story. He stepped back into his apartment and gestured for Matt to follow him. This wasn't a conversation he wanted to have in the hallway. They sat down on the couch and Neil started from the beginning, talking about his father’s work and how his mother had ran with him and how they had kept running until his father had caught up with them and killed Neil’s mother. Taking a deep breath, Neil continued on to gloss over the story of his father’s death and how he ended up in Palmetto. His voice was hoarse by the time he finished talking and Matt’s eyes were huge. 

“Well fuck. I don't know what to say Neil other than I'm glad you're here now.” 

“Me too” Neil responded. 

“So what happened to your face then?” 

Neil remembered his bruises and the way this conversation had started in the first place. 

“Oh right. One of my father’s people found me a few days ago and attacked me in my apartment. I fought him off and he's gone.” 

Matt looked like he wanted to inquire further into the “he’s gone” part of the explanation but something in Neil's expression seemed to make him think better of it.

“Well I'm glad you're okay Neil. We need you around here! Do you still want to go the aquarium?” 

He looked hesitant but the last thing Neil wanted right now was to be alone, stuck in his memories. 

“Yeah definitely. Let's go.” 

Matt beamed and helped pull Neil to his feet. They left the apartment, Neil locking the door behind them, and headed down to Matt’s truck. The aquarium was only a twenty minute drive away and Neil sat quietly in the passenger seat while Matt sang along to the radio. 

 

Soon enough, they pulled into the parking lot and headed to the doors to buy tickets. Matt insisted on paying for Neil’s ticket and Neil found it pointless to argue. Tickets in hand, they were ushered inside and Neil sighed at the cool temperature and dark lighting. They took the stairs to the upper level and headed for the tropical fish first. Matt lead him through the aquarium excitedly, pointing out all his favorite creatures. Neil found himself to be especially partial to the turtles and the poison dart frogs. When looking at the small frogs, he took a photo of a tiny black one with spots of yellow and a yellow head. 

**Me (12.34): Is this is you?**

He smirked slightly at the message and pocketed his phone again. He felt it buzz a few minutes later and pulled it out to read the waiting message. 

**Andrew (12.39):** _ 235% Josten  _

 

Neil couldn't help the small laugh that escaped him and he earned a curious look from Matt. He knew Matt wouldn't pry, but for some reason he found himself wanting to share. 

“Sorry, just Andrew.” He settled on a vague reply. 

“Oh yeah? You guys seem to be pretty close” Matt responded, holding back a small smile. 

“Yeah I don't know. It's unexpected? We're just kind of going with it?” 

“That's great man! You don't need to label anything if you don't want to.” Matt’s smile grew and he was positively beaming. 

Neil smiled slightly. As if sensing his mild discomfort, Matt quickly changed the subject. 

“Come on, let's go see the sharks! They're so badass.” 

They moved on to the next area where the sharks were kept. Neil had to admit that he really did like sharks. They were, in his opinion, given a bad reputation by humans. He voiced this thought to Matt who wholeheartedly agreed. They moved through the remaining exhibits, Matt getting excited at the jellyfish in particular, and soon enough they ended up in a much brighter room containing a large pool full of stingrays. 

“Ooh we can pet them!! Should we do it?” Matt was practically vibrating with excitement. Neil nodded and they went to scoop a handful of food and found a spot by the pool where they could stick their hands in. Matt squealed when one of the rays slid over his hand in search of the food. Neil laughed at him and brushed his fingers over another nearby stingray. 

 

Once the food was gone, they decided to stop by the gift shop before they left. Matt immediately decided on a stuffed turtle for Dan and went to pay for it. Neil poked around a bit and soon found what he was looking for. He and Matt left the aquarium a few minutes later, Matt with his stuffed turtle and Neil with a tiny plastic poison dart frog. They climbed back into the truck and headed for home. Twenty minutes later, Matt dropped Neil off at his apartment. He insisted on walking Neil to his door and asked Neil if he could hug him. At Neil’s nod, he gently wrapped his arms around him and gave him a quick but comforting hug. 

“Thanks for today Matt. I had a lot of fun.” 

Matt smiled his big smile again. 

“Thank you for coming! And thank you for sharing all those things. I'll see you at work!” 

He waved goodbye as Neil unlocked the door and stepped into his apartment. 

Neil heard a muffled sound as he entered the apartment and immediately prepared himself for an intruder. 

“Calm down junkie. It's just me.” 

Neil huffed a sigh of relief at the sound of Andrew’s voice and turned towards him. Andrew stood in the doorway to the kitchen, wearing a pair of dark sweatpants and a long sleeved t-shirt, his feet bare. 

“I took your spare key this morning” Andrew said as explanation for his presence in Neil’s apartment. Neil nodded and set his own keys down on the countertop. Andrew pushed away from the doorway and came to stand in front of Neil. 

“Yes or no?” 

Neil smirked slightly and tilted his head, appraising Andrew and the bored expression on his face. Neil wasn't buying that face for a second. 

“Yes.” 

Andrew curled his fingers in Neil’s shirt and pulled him towards the bedroom. Neil’s startled laugh was quickly muffled by the heat of Andrew’s mouth and he tripped slightly in his haste to follow Andrew. Pulling Neil through the bedroom door, Andrew pushed him down on the bed and Neil went willingly. Andrew reached behind himself and shut the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, sorry about the smut cliffhanger. Don't worry, the next chapter will pick up right where we've left off ;)


	20. The End of Twenty Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well the smut continues for a bit and then there's cake and everyone's favorite cats and nice walk complete with cigarettes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!! I'm back again and this time I'm bringing you the last chapter! It feels a little sad to leave this story behind, but I've loved writing it and being able to share it with all of you has been amazing. All your comments and kudos and subscriptions and bookmarks have made me so happy and I appreciate every single one of them. A giant thank you to all of my readers, knowing that you've enjoyed this story is really wonderful and I'm very grateful for all the kind words! 
> 
> Anywho, yes this story is ending now but if you need another fic to read and want to read another thing I'm sort of writing, please feel free to check out The Foxtrot's Not for the Faint of Heart, a dance AU WIP co-written by smolmoll04 and myself. And on that note, special shoutout to smolmoll04 for all the comments and kudos and for inspiring some of the moments in this fic! <3\. 
> 
> I'll shut up and let you read now, but thank you all again so very very much. I hope you enjoy the last chapter!

Neil fell onto his bed, barely having a moment to catch his breath before Andrew sunk down to the bed and crawled over him. He pulled Neil in for another kiss and Neil opened his mouth to Andrew, the hint clear. Andrew licked into his mouth and Neil groaned softly. The sound seemed to set something off in Andrew and he pulled himself away from Neil and sat up so he was straddling Neil’s hips. 

“Andrew?” Neil asked softly

“Shirt off yes or no?” Andrew replied. 

“Yes. Yes Andrew.” 

Satisfied with his answer, Andrew reached for the hem of Neil’s shirt and Neil sat up, making it easier for Andrew to pull the thin garment over his head. He tossed it off the bed, into a corner and pressed one hand to Neil’s chest, pushing him back down. 

Andrew leaned down to kiss him, moving both hands to Neil’s chest. He kissed him with the usual controlled ferocity that made Neil’s head spin. At his muffled moan, Andrew reached lower to Neil’s wrists and brought his hands up to rest in his hair. Neil hummed a small sound of contentment and Andrew bit his lip in retaliation. 

Despite the tightening in his jeans, Neil would have been content to stay there and let Andrew take him apart with his mouth and hands alone. However it seemed that Andrew had other plans. Slowly enough that Neil could stop him if he wanted to, Andrew slid his hands down Neil’s chest. He paused for a moment and then sucked Neil’s lower lip into his mouth, rubbing both his palms over Neil’s nipples. Not expecting that touch, Neil arched up and let out a moan much louder than the one before. Andrew smirked as if he had discovered some new secret. He did it again, but this time he trailed his hands down slightly and twisted his fingers around Neil’s nipples, the pressure more intense than Neil knew how to process. He gave up any hope of staying quiet when Andrew moved his head down to trace his tongue over one of his nipples. He bit it lightly, following it again with his tongue and Neil’s hips twitching upwards, desperately searching for friction.

Andrew pressed one hand over Neil’s hips, a clear sign for him to stop moving. It took too much effort but Neil eventually managed to still them. It didn't last. Andrew moved further down, stopping when he reached the waistband of Neil’s jeans. He let his fingers toy with the belt loops a moment, seeming to be thinking about something. A minute later he appeared to make up his mind, and Neil was ready for the question before it came.

“Yes or no?” Andrew asked him, voice calm and flat but his fingers were shaking very slightly. 

“It’s always a yes with you Andrew.” Neil replied. 

Andrew rolled his eyes. 

“Don't ‘always’ me.” 

His tone was vaguely annoyed but his hands were moving to undo Neil’s jeans. He slid them down and Neil wiggled his legs to help get them all the way off. He was left in just his dark underwear, his arousal evident. He gasped lightly as Andrew slid off the underwear and took hold of Neil, giving him a few strokes. 

“Andrew.” He sighed. 

Andrew looked up at him and maintained eye contact as he took Neil into his mouth. Neil gasped as Andrew worked his mouth over him, alternating between small licks and taking him deep into his throat. Too soon, Neil arched up and moaned Andrew’s name in warning. Andrew ignored his warning and stayed between Neil’s thighs, swallowing around him as Neil came hard into his mouth. A few moments later, Neil whimpered softly and Andrew pulled off him, crawling up to press their lips together. The kiss turned desperate quickly, Andrew’s arousal too obvious to ignore. Neil broke the kiss and looked up at Andrew. 

“Will you stay?” He asked softly. 

Andrew stilled for a few moments, but eventually gave a small nod. Neil smiled and leaned back in to kiss him. 

Neil tangled their legs together and Andrew kissed him harder, licking into his mouth. After a few moments, Andrew began to move against Neil’s thigh, kissing him with an intensity that was dizzying. When Neil broke away to press open mouthed kisses along the side of Andrew’s neck, he groaned quietly and increased the movement of his hips. Neil bit down at the hinge of his jaw, sucking a bruise into the skin and Andrew’s hands clutched at Neil’s shoulders. He came with a muffled curse, his face hidden in Neil’s neck.

Andrew gave himself a few moments before pulling himself off of Neil and heading into the bathroom for a shower. Neil lay back on the bed as he came down, and waited for Andrew to finish showering. 

 

Ten minutes later, Andrew reappeared wearing sweats and a soft t-shirt. 

“Go shower. You're a mess.” He said, eyeing Neil’s still naked and sweaty form. Neil smiled and mustered up the energy to shower, taking longer than usual so as to give Andrew some more time alone. When he came out, Andrew had crawled back into bed and was lying with his back against the wall. At his pointed look, Neil climbed in next to him and turned to switch off the light. He lay back down facing Andrew, his hand resting in the small space between them. 

“Goodnight Andrew.” He whispered.

As if sensing his smile, Andrew twined his fingers with Neil’s and muttered a low “Shut up and sleep Neil.” 

Neil laughed quietly and relished the feeling of his hand laced with Andrew’s as he fell asleep. 

****************

(Six months later) 

Andrew Minyard woke to the sound of two cats meowing and to an aggressively bright sun. Cracking his eyes open, he watched his boyfriend crawl out of bed and tiptoe out in search of the cats. Leaving Neil to deal with them, he rolled over and fell back asleep. He woke for the second time two hours later to Neil quietly saying his name and the smell of coffee. He sat up, glared at Neil’s smiling face and took the mug from his hands. 

Neil left the room but returned a few minutes later, a plate of pancakes in one hand and King in the other. He plopped King down on the bed and handed the pancakes to Andrew. 

“I made sure to drown them in syrup.” He said with a smirk. 

Andrew rolled his eyes, but took the plate and began to eat. 

“Better than your weird fruit breakfasts Josten.” He fired back, but the words held no heat. 

Neil sat down next to him as he finished eating, taking away the plate when he was done. Andrew picked up his phone from the nightstand and prepared himself for the onslaught of messages. Sure enough, there was a very long and enthusiastic one from Nicky wishing him  _ An amaaaaaazing birthday (tell Neil to give you lots of birthday sex!! _ ). Which Andrew promptly ignored, as well as messages from Kevin, Renee, Matt and Dan, and even a rather sarcastic one from Allison Reynolds. The last one he opened was from Aaron and all it said was  _ eat a shit ton of cake today.  _

Andrew put the phone back down and went to find Neil. He pressed him against the counter and kissed him, fingers combing through Neil’s hair. Neil pulled back after a few minutes and went back to washing dishes. They spent the day lounging around their shared apartment, alternating between watching tv and playing with the cats. At one point, Neil dropped to his knees to suck Andrew off, standing on wobbly legs afterwards to bring him a piece of cake from the kitchen. After a small dinner of empanadas from the place around the corner, they grabbed their shoes and keys, walking down the stairs and out of the building. They walked for a few minutes before Andrew reached down and took Neil’s hand. Neil’s smile was small and bright and Andrew reminded himself that it was okay to want things sometimes, to want  _ this.  _ Whatever this was, whatever Neil meant to him, it didn't matter what anyone else thought or saw, what mattered most was Neil and the cats and Andrew’s ongoing mission to change Neil’s horrific taste in coffee. He’d rid that boy of his taste for shitty black coffee even if he had to fight him on it until the day he died. As they walked further, Andrew thought that maybe fighting Neil over coffee wouldn't be the worst way to spend this next year of his life. They sat down on a bench and Andrew lit cigarettes for both of them, watching as Neil inhaled the smoke from where the cigarette was cupped between his hands. Twenty six, Andrew thought, was already infinitely better than his other years combined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. Sorry about the world's sappiest ending. I had to do it. Terribly sorry if it's too ooc. Thank you for reading! <3<3

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to come yell at me on Tumblr (Tsnazzzzz) about these nerds.


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